The Social Media Tools Summit is a digital summit that focuses on the tools and strategies that marketers use to grow their businesses. We share best practices, case studies, and tips for success.
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Social Media Tools Summit
As I write this post at the beginning of 2022, we are still in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic which is preventing many of us meeting for large conferences in-person.
That being said, there are an increasing number of marketing conferences that are planning to move ahead this year in hopes that the situation improves, so this will be the first year since 2019 that so many conferences are planned.
No one can predict what will happen in the next few months, but should things drastically improve, I expect more conferences to be slated for the second half of 2022. Otherwise, even some of the ones I am writing about here have a possibility of being canceled..
That is my disclaimer for this post, but if you still have hopes attending an in-person social media conference this year, you’ll want to check out these social media conferences!
While there are many reputable conferences that are doing it virtually this year that could be mentioned here, I only want to blog about those that plan to meet in-person.
Why attend a social media conference?
It goes without saying that social media is always changing. There is no better way to tap into the collective wisdom of experts than by attending social media conferences where you can:
- learn from subject matter experts, such as corporate practitioners, well-known bloggers, authors, and speakers, in the field
- network with other corporate practitioners and professionals to compare notes on best practices
- discover new social media tools that might help you do more with less
- stay ahead of the curve!
Which are the 16 best digital and social media marketing conferences to attend in 2022?
Rather than create a comprehensive list of all of the marketing and social media conferences that exist, I provide you my annual list of conferences that I have vetted from either presenting at, attending, or knowing first-hand of the experiences from others who have attended. Social media conferences with a strong track record obviously are featured in this list, but I also went out of my way to add new and promising events to the list as well as some other major conferences that I might have omitted from previous lists.
This year’s list I further narrowed down the social media conferences to only those that are planning to have it in-person.
If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of digital and social media marketing, these are the must-attend social media conferences in 2022! Social media conferences are presented in chronological order for your convenience with information about the date and events venue city.
Note that there are still many conferences where dates have been announced but speakers have not been. Make sure you bookmark this page and check back often as speakers will be added as they are announced.
B2B Marketing Exchange
February 28-March 2, 2022, Scottsdale, AZ
B2B Marketing Exchange is a large conference held every year to bring B2B marketers together to evaluate the best in up and coming business marketing solutions. B2B is unique among many of its peers, in that it focuses on creating personal connections through one on one sessions and mentorship opportunities. Attendees can also dig deeper into specific subjects through hand on education and smaller sessions, in addition to larger speaker sessions.
These are the sessions I recommend you check out if you were planning on attending:
- Jay Baer: How Social Tokens, NFTs, and Crypto Will Change Your Business Model Forever
- Marcus Sheridan: Good To GREAT B2B Digital Marketing In 2022 & Beyond: From World-Class Website Content To Self-Service Tools, How To Reach A New Level Of Trust, Traffic, Leads & Sales Online (Marcus Sheridan)
- Pam Didner: How To Create A High-Performance Team Among Sales/Ops/Marketing
- Amisha Gandhi: Creating A Connected Customer Journey To Deliver An Experience That Converts
B2B Marketing Exchange is geared toward business to business marketers, and is best for those who are looking to get a more hands-on, personal education about new marketing techniques.
Social Media Marketing World *
March 14-16, 2022, San Diego, CA
Having spoken at every Social Media Marketing World (so far!), I can personally attest to the amazing speakers and content that you can learn from.
These are the speakers and sessions that I recommend you check out if you were interested in attending.
- Michael Stelzner: Social Media Marketing in 2022: What the Newest Research Reveals
- Joe Pulizzi: How Social Tokens, NFTs, and Crypto Will Change Your Business Model Forever
- Mari Smith: The Ultimate Facebook Success Formula for Better Leads and More Sales
- Ann Handley: The Art of Storytelling: How to Create Better Content With Stories
- Marcus Sheridan: The Most Trusted Voice: 7 Keys to Making Magical, Trust-Building Content
- Robert Rose: Content Marketing In 2022: How to Deliver Differentiated Value
- Tim Schmoyer: How to Use Story to Improve Your YouTube Growth
- Luria Petrucci: How to Create Professional Quality Live Video Without Blowing Your Budget
- Pat Flynn: How to Start a Podcast from Scratch and Reach an Entirely New Audience
- AJ Wilcox: Advanced LinkedIn Advertising for the B2B Marketer
* Affiliate link
2022 ANA Content Marketing Conference
April 27-29, 2022, Orlando, FL
The Association of National Advertisers is having its first-ever conference to go over social media strategies. Although it is no stranger to in-person events, the authorities on content marketing at the ANA have recognized the need for a more robust format with which to discuss content marketing and the many different aspects of content marketing–including blogs, email marketing, video marketing, and influencer marketing–with a focus on customer experience, customer service, and actionable takeaways to help your company or brand’s content marketing truly shine.
This particular conference is designed for senior marketers who play a more substantial role in content creation, as in-person events like the ANA’s conference place a heavy focus on idea generation, creativity, and creating robust content strategies to push businesses and brands further in their content marketing efforts. Although it is not billed as one of the hybrid events being offered this year, the ANA’s conference does have options for those who are not able to attend the event in-person but still want to take advantage of all the ANA has to offer.
With speakers including the VP of Marketing for Subaru and Marriott International, the ANA’s conference is not one you’ll want to miss.
Ad World 2022
May 2-3, 2022, Online
OK – I lied. This is actually NOT an in-person event, but the speaker lineup is so impressive, I had to share it!
Billed as the world’s largest digital marketing event held online, Ad World 2022 offers social strategy information for people, brands, and businesses of all sizes and types. Ad World offers a substantial panel of experts including renowned names like Arianna Huffington, to help social strategy professionals develop the tools and techniques needed to make digital marketing campaigns succeed and build rapport with followers and customers.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global and The Huffington Post
- Seth Godin, author and thought leader
- Rand Fishkin, Co-Founder & CEO, SparkToro
- Kipp Bodnar, Chief Marketing Officer, Hubspot
- Eric Siu, Founder & Chairman, Single Grain
Although it might seem that becoming a content marketing ninja is impossible via an online conference, the format of Ad World 2022 makes it possible for more people to attend the digital marketing event and there are networking opportunities built in. From connecting with industry professionals who focus on social marketing to speaking to marketers who have tackled some of the most common digital marketing challenges, attendees can expect to learn plenty of tools to take their digital marketing efforts to the next level.
Creator Economy Expo *
May 2-4, 2022, Phoenix, AZ
CEX – Creator Economy Expo is a new conference that helps content creators grow audience, drive revenue, sharpen up content operations and learn about Web3 (social tokens, NFTs, etc.) business models. The event is May 2-4, 2022 at the Arizona Grand Resort and is limited to 500 content creators. The lineup is already amazing, including speakers like:
- Dan Pink
- TikTok/Twitch star Leesh Capeesh
- Ann Handley
- Joe Pulizzi
- Brian Clark
- Roberto Blake
Simply put, this is a can’t miss event. I’ll be there, and if you can join me maybe we can hit the town for some sushi together. Join me and get a $150 discount to attend.
Why am I SO excited about this event? You’ll just have to watch Joe Pulizzi’s interview with John Lee Dumas to find out!
* Affiliate link
Digital Marketing for Financial Services Canada Summit
June 8-9, 2022, Toronto, Canada
The Canada-based summit is unique among the other offerings on this list, in that it focuses all of its attention on financial services and the different digital marketing campaigns and techniques that are required within that particular niche. Where many marketing conferences focus on offering a wide range of subjects and interests, the digital and social marketing efforts found in the Canada summit offer a very narrow scope in order to dive as deeply as possible into this area.
Confirmed speakers include:
- TBD
The Canada summit is being hosted by senior-level marketers, but is available to the experienced marketer and novice alike, provided that you work within the financial industry. The summit’s strategy framework will help people in this industry build up, flesh out, and explore their digital marketing efforts, whether those efforts are newly developed or have been in place for years.
The Canada summit has not yet announced its full list of speakers, but virtual tickets are available for anyone wishing to attend this hybrid event in order to take advantage of the expert trainers expected to be in attendance.
The Social Shake-Up
June 8-10, 2022, Atlanta, GA
As its name suggests, the Social Shake-Up is a social media marketing conference designed for senior-level, cross-industry marketers and general marketing teams alike, who are in need of some changes to their day-to-day social routines. The conference covers a range of topics with expert trainers, though all will converge on one valuable point: the value of improving customer relationships through compelling and engaging social media strategy.
The speaker lineup for this year’s conference include:
- Beverly Jackson, a marketing VP for Twitter
- Sabrina Merritt, the founder and CEO of October Social Media
- Dwayna Haley, Chief Brand and Communication Officer for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
The Social Shake-Up is not your average social conference, in that it offers actionable insights on an arsenal of tools you might yet be using. As part of making sure your marketing campaigns are on the forefront of your industry, the Social Shake-Up tackles topics such as using up-and-coming social platforms, connecting more effectively with your audience, and even leveraging existing strategies and successes to expand your budget and reach.
Social Media Day Halifax
June 10, 2022, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Social Media Day Halifax is considered Canada’s top conference for consideration if you are looking for a conference that focuses its digital marketing conversation on social media marketing, specifically. Unlike many of the other conferences out there, Social Media Day is a one-day conference, and packs in a host of digital growth tools and practical skills to improve your video marketing efforts, as well as your content and image creation efforts, all for social media marketing.
Confirmed speakers include:
- TBD
Halifax’s social media event is designed to focus on Canadian businesses, and can be attended and utilized by people of all levels, from the very beginner in the social media marketing scene to social media experts. Special sessions in this conference will attend closely to how to implement social media strategy in a way that boosts your business, and helps you determine how best to fuse your business’ goals and needs with your existing or upcoming social media campaigns.
Friends Of Search Conference
June 14, 2022, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Friends of Search is among Europe’s largest search conferences, with over 600 attendees expected each year. Friends of Search brings together businesses, marketers, and consultants together to dig deep into marketing’s most effective and up-and-coming strategies. Each year, Friends of Search accepts marketing plan submissions, and delivers awards to the individuals or businesses who present the most innovative marketing strategies.
Confirmed speakers include:
- TBD
Friends of Search is designed for individuals and businesses who are experienced in the realm of marketing—particularly SEO and search engine marketing. The event is best suited to people who are least partly familiar with search engine marketing, and is not designed for beginners.
Growth Marketing Summit
June 15, 2022, Frankfurt, Germany
The Growth Marketing Summit in Frankfurt is another one-day conference with a focus on growing digitally. From audience growth to content strategy, the Growth Marketing Summit places a heavy emphasis on learning how to effectively and consistently grow your user base and develop stronger relationships through your marketing campaigns. Unlike many other conferences offering a host of information in a few short days, Growth Marketing Summit emphasizes actionable items to maximize your optimization practices, and experience the growth your company needs to thrive.
Confirmed Speakers Include:
- Dan Ariely, Behavioral Economist
- Joost de Schepper, of Spotify
- Morgan Brown, of Shopify
- Sandra Wu, of himalaya
This conference is best for companies or brands that are looking to scale. If you are comfortable where you are, this may not be the right fit for you. If, however, you are looking to grow–and do so in a way that is measurable and sustainable–Growth Marketing Summit could be an excellent fit for your needs.
Social Fresh 2022
June 21-23, 2022, Charlotte, NC
Social Fresh bills itself as the only conference just for Social Media Managers. Social Fresh has been creating training and education to help brands become leaders in social since 2009 and this will be their first in-person conference since 2019. Having attended a past Social Fresh in San Diego, I can attest to the fact that this conference truly focuses on primarily having corporate speakers on stage who generously share real-life experiences from managing social media for their brands.
Confirmed Speakers Include:
- Saad Khan, Shopify – Senior Social Lead
- Tatiana Holifield, Hulu – Head of Brand Social
- Ted Harrison, Twitter – Head of Production, ArtHouse
- Karianne Stinson, Microsoft – Sr. Manager, Surface
Social Fresh is where you’ll learn how to create better content (faster), increase organic engagement, grow your audience, improve your content process, and more, jam packed with 20+ industry experts and brand leaders into 3 days of no-fluff, educational sessions.
Podcast Movement 2022
August 23-26, 2022, Dallas, TX
Podcast Movement is a conference specifically designed for podcasting professionals who are looking to improve their own podcast and network with others in the podcast arena. Podcast Movement is the largest podcasting convention in existence, and each year, strives to bring together people from all backgrounds and interests to improve marketing strategies, podcast content, and podcasting equipment to diversity, expand, and support the global podcasting community.
I attended Podcast Movement for the first time in 2021 and highly recommend this event for beginner or advanced podcasters. Great sessions, great speakers, great people!
Confirmed Speakers Include:
- TBD
This event is geared toward podcast creators of all experience levels. If you haven ot yet started, or have had a podcast for years, you can find a place at Podcast Movement, and benefit from the vast number of industry professionals available to offer panels, networking opportunities, and workshops.
Traffic And Conversion Summit
September 27-29, 2022, San Diego, CA
The Traffic and Conversion Summit is designed to be an intensive summit, absolutely filled with actionable content that can readily take your marketing strategies from sub par to consistent, effective, and explosive.
I attended Traffic and Conversion Summit in 2021 for the first time and was blown away by the quality and quantity of speakers.
Confirmed speakers include:
- TBD
Traffic and Conversion Summit is best for those who are looking for simple, straightforward, and powerful steps to increase marketing leads and take their business to the next level. Networking is also a large feature of Traffic and Conversion Summit, and is valuable for anyone seeking to make connections in marketing.
Content Marketing World
September 13-16, 2022, Cleveland, Ohio
The Content Marketing World convention is part convention and part expo, designed to bring the best content marketing professionals together to create a dynamic and informative convention. Convention features include sessions, workshops, and forums tailored to content creators and marketers. Large brands, individual marketers, and everyone in between are expected to attend Content Marketing World’s convention, each of them in search of more effective tools to generate a larger audience and support business growth.
Confirmed Speakers Include:
- TBD
Content Marketing World is an open-call event, created to welcome marketing, public relations, and communications professionals. Attendees will learn how to more effectively communicate with target audiences, deliver compelling marketing materials, and create engaging, actionable marketing plans of action.
AntiConLX Global
July 1, 2022, London, England
Formerly known as MarTechFest Global, AntiConLX is a self-described festival that focuses on all things marketing technology. AntiConLX prides itself on creating a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, and wasting no time in getting down to the nitty gritty of the latest in marketing technology.
Confirmed Speakers Include:
- TBD
AntiConLX is ideal for marketers who are seeking a laid-back atmosphere, with no frills or workshops. This particular summit is a single day, making it a great choice for anyone with a limited amount of time and a vested interest in marketing technology.
Web Summit
November 1-4, 2022, Lisbon Portugal
Web Summit is a large-scale web-related summit that offers six different themes from which to learn. These include commerce, marketing and media, society, developers and data, lifestyle, and business development. Within these themes are professional keynote speakers, workshops, and panels, all of which are designed to deliver innovative ideas for improving business practices across all aspects of marketing, creation, and management. Web Summit has been identified as the world’s best technology conference, and strives to live up to its reputation.
Confirmed Speakers Include:
- TBD
Due to the nature of Web Summit’s focus on technology, professionals and amateurs in all areas of technology and web-based business are encouraged to attend. Attendees will learn more effective marketing strategy, the impact business has on society and the world at large, and the responsibilities businesses and entrepreneurs take on.
Are there any must attend 2022 social media conferences which are missing from the list? Please contact me and let me know!
social media marketing world
Social marketing is changing more and more each day. If this industry has taught us anything, it’s that you’ve got to embrace change to get ahead.
Join thousands of the world’s smartest marketers and influencers at the only marketing conference you need to attend—brought to you by Social Media Examiner!
You’ll walk away with real business-building ideas that you can put to work for your business or clients right away.
Experience it in beautiful San Diego, California from March 13 to 15, 2023.
“This was honestly the best conference I’ve attended in my professional life,” said attendee Laura Kaslow.
Join Top Industry Pros—All in One Place!
Imagine gaining actionable tips and strategy advice—live and in-person—from the best of the best in social strategy, organic social marketing, content marketing, and paid social.
Here’s just a small sampling of the expert trainers who spoke at the 2022 event:
Mari Smith, the Queen of Facebook.
Tamsen Webster, a messaging strategist.
Mark Schaefer, a social futurist and strategist.
Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner.
Tim Schmoyer, leading YouTube strategist.
Marcus Sheridan, a content marketing ninja and speaker.
Molly Pittman, a leading digital ads strategist.
Ann Handley, the Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs.
Joe Pulizzi, one of the world’s top authorities on content marketing.
Sean Cannell, a YouTube master and influencer coach.
And many, many more…
“The mindset, openness, and amount of time the experts gave to us was head and shoulders above other conferences,” said Noah Stanley.
Designed for You: The Professional Marketer
If you’re an experienced marketer and want to take your social marketing skills to the next level, you’re in the right place.
We know you’re feeling pressure to improve your results. This is the event where you gain more marketing confidence, accelerate your career, and discover how to crush your marketing goals:
Imagine keeping up with important trends and knowing exactly how to successfully implement the latest techniques.
Imagine getting 10X ROI every time you launch a campaign, create an ad, or start working on a new platform.
Imagine having all the insight you need to support every marketing decision you make.
Imagine forming relationships with people who become like family—your always-available, go-to group of peers who you can ask any question or present with any new idea.
Imagine having complete confidence with every strategy and tactic you present to your boss, colleagues, or clients.
This is why we exist: We help marketers like you get all the information you need in one place, personally connect with the top experts in the world, form lifetime relationships that’ll help you year-round, and gain the confidence you need to succeed in your job.
“I found my tribe… The people who speak my language and understand my challenges,” said Shelley Rostlund.
Take Your Social Marketing to the Next Level
Social Media Marketing World focuses on four primary areas of social marketing: organic social marketing, paid social, social strategy, and content marketing.
Social strategy: Are you looking for a master plan to guide your future marketing? Let our expert trainers show you different ways to achieve your objectives.
Organic social marketing: Covering TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and beyond, this track will help you create more exposure, engagement, and sales.
Content marketing: Want to embrace content in all its forms? If you want to understand how to use content to grow and nurture a loyal following, this is the track for you.
Paid social marketing: Want to master paid acquisition from Facebook to YouTube? Let our expert trainers show you precisely how to capitalize on ads across all the major social platforms.
Why Social Media Marketing World is Your Best Choice to Become a Better Marketer
#1: Quality Marketing Training
Unlike other events, we carefully recruit every speaker based on their knowledge, integrity, and training experience. They’re all excellent trainers who practice what they teach. There are no panels, only real pros providing you with real, actionable insights.
Plus, this is the only large conference with a dedicated focus on organic social, paid social, content marketing, and social strategy. You won’t find this depth of training anywhere else.
“The sessions were really insightful, encompassing both the big picture of what needs to be done and also very tangible, tactical, applicable items, that I can take back and apply immediately,” said Liz Eischen.
#2: Apply What You Learn Right Away
Everything that you discover at Social Media Marketing World is designed to be actionable, not just theory. You can put what you learn into practice and start seeing results in your business right away, even before you leave the conference.
“I have absolutely found what I needed here. It’s been a jam-packed three days. Every single session I attended I’ve been able to take away probably three things, minimum, that I am going to be able to immediately implement,” said Jules McGuire.
#3: Make Lifelong Connections
Create important connections with other marketers who speak your language, understand your challenges, and are dedicated to helping each other out.
“The people that you meet here are an impeccable resource. Everyone is here to help you out. No one’s selling you anything. It’s more about how do we help each other out and engage,” said George Suero
Finally, you’ve found an event you can trust.
The Only Conference You Need to Attend this Year
Ready to get expert training and advice that you can use to further your results and career?
An All-Access ticket to Social Media Marketing World is your best bet for relevant, industry-specific training from experts you trust.
What you get with your All-Access ticket: | Social Media Marketing World | Other Marketing Conferences |
---|---|---|
Industry-specific social media marketing tactics and strategy training. | YES | NO |
Up-to-date expert industry trends and predictions. | YES | YES |
Leading experts in social media marketing. | YES | NO |
100% pitch-free presentations from the world’s top experts. | YES | NO |
In-person access to all keynotes, sessions, and workshops. | YES | YES |
Live streaming access from any device. | YES | NO* |
Video recordings of all available content included. | YES | NO* |
Downloadable presentation slide decks included for each training. | YES | NO* |
Downloadable MP3 files included for each training to listen on the go. | YES | NO* |
Confidence that you’ve got the latest and greatest techniques to 10x your results. | YES | NO |
* Most conferences offer recordings and live streaming for an additional fee.
At Social Media Marketing World, we really mean all access. No hidden fees here.
I’M IN! SAVE ME A SEAT…
Here’s What Marketers Are Saying:
“I came to San Diego hoping to learn valuable strategies and best practices for creating success on social media and left with knowledge I didn’t even know I was looking for that will completely transform the way I approach social media strategy,” said Elena Griffo.
“I was inspired to experiment and try new things, especially with videos. It’s hard NOT to be inspired while spending all this time with experts and other like-minded people in this field,” said Derek Hiebert.
“I can say—with huge excitement—that I not only got a plan, but found valuable information, and connections that could only happen here,” said Alita Fernandez.
“I loved the content! I absolutely loved the variety and the speaker choices. There was really something for everyone,” said Amanda Rosen.
“Before the conference, my creativity had taken a big hit, but going to SMMW and meeting so many people I admired and meeting new people, it picked me back up again and lit my creativity on fire and carried through almost a year later,” said Crystal Richard.
“Social Media Marketing World is a hands-on, how-to, one-on-one conversation with experts, kind of conference. You walk away ACTUALLY knowing how to do things better,” said Judie Gaines.
Need Even More Reasons to Attend?
Highly valuable, pitch-free content—our trademark at Social Media Examiner. We don’t allow our speakers to sell from the stage.
San Diego waterfront in March—need we say more? Enjoy sunny San Diego at the bayside San Diego Convention Center.
Your sole destination for social media marketing training—get all the guidance, insights, and roadmaps to 10X all of your social media skills. We have it all!
Full access to the recordings of EVERY session—if you miss a session, no worries! With your All-Access ticket, you can watch playbacks from your computer, tablet, or smartphone at your leisure!
White-glove conference experience—from the moment you arrive, you’ll never be left wondering what to do or where to go. Our friendly staff will help you find what you need and make sure you feel welcome. Finally, an event that puts your experience first!
Vacation opportunity—if you’ve never visited San Diego, this is a great opportunity to find out why it’s called America’s Finest City. Why not make a vacation out of it? Enjoy amazing beaches, surfing, the world-famous San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, San Diego Safari Park, and tons more…
Conclusion
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